Goose Control Services

Driven Wild uses highly trained and intelligent dogs as a primary means of managing goose populations. Our dogs are trained to respond to voice commands which tell them when to put pressure on the geese and when to return to the handler once the geese have flown away. This voice control is extremely important when using an unrestrained dog as an extension of the handler. The amount of training that goes into these dogs is astounding, and it can be time consuming to prepare a dog for this type of work. Because of this, it is not a smart idea to pick up a Border Collie from a breeder or shelter with the expectation that they will clear your property of geese effectively and humanely. Driven Wild’s handlers have years of experience with dogs, and we have personally trained our dogs to perform this type of work. We provide goose control services for:

City Parks

The reason this type of goose control is so effective is because of the modern-day dog’s (and especially Border Collies’) resemblance to foxes, wolves, and other predators of geese. The better a dog’s “stalking” capabilities, the more resemblance the geese will see to predators. Therefore, Border Collies are often recommended for goose control. They are genetically predisposed to great aptitude in herding. They are also the only breed of dog to give “the eye” to whichever livestock they are herding. They can use this look to intimidate the livestock into moving without having to exert much effort. In a goose’s mind, they are unsafe whenever the dogs are around. While their actual safety is not threatened, it is the perceived threat that makes the geese leave the area whenever they see the dogs.

Driven Wild will vary the timing of our visits to your property to ensure the geese do not start to see patterns and fly back in as soon as the dogs leave. We work outside of a typical 9-5 schedule, so we can make visits to your property when it is most convenient to you and your patrons. The dogs are focused on their work and will make good time of clearing the area of geese. However, they are friendly and comfortable around all types of people. Your customers, employees, etc. are welcome to visit with them when they are not actively working geese. Our dogs wear brightly colored vests or life jackets to make it clear that they are working. They do not bark at geese to harass them, so their presence will not be disruptive.

While the dogs are our main method of goose management, we will sometimes need to use supplemental methods. This could be necessary if the geese are especially stubborn or in bodies of water where it is not effective for our dogs to swim out to harass the geese. The main supplement we use is a remote-controlled boat. This allows us to come at the geese in the water from an additional angle, and it convinces them they are surrounded. Their only way out is to leave the area entirely.

If the geese are returning overnight and are causing issues early in the morning, we may make several visits during dusk and use lasers in addition to the dogs. The lasers work as an unfamiliar threat the geese have not seen before, and they can be very effective in preventing geese from roosting on your property when used correctly.

If you have seen lots of goslings on your property in the spring, it’s quite likely there is at least one nest on your property. The adult geese are often fiercely protective of their nests, and they tend to lay nests in well-protected areas. This sometimes includes areas in and around bodies of water, which may be difficult to access. Once a gosling has hatched on your property, that area has been imprinted into their memory. They will return to the area year after year to have offspring of their own. People often use the expression “multiplying like rabbits,” but we could say the same about geese. While you may only have a pair of geese this year, next year they could return to procreate in addition to their eight offspring from the previous season. You can see how things will quickly get out of hand. Luckily, geese can be dissuaded from returning to your property if their eggs fail to hatch. A service called egg depredation is vital in ensuring these geese and their offspring don’t return to your property year after year.

Egg depredation (also called egg addling) consists of using one of several available methods to make goose eggs non-viable. Only eggs which have not yet been successfully incubated and begun to develop are addled. This process usually must be completed in the early spring to prevent goslings from hatching and inhabiting the area in the summer. There are several different techniques which are used to prevent eggs from developing. In most cases, some type of egg must be left in the nest to prevent the goose from laying more eggs to replace the ones they lost. The eggs can be replaced by dummy eggs, or they can be humanely treated with oil before being returned to the nest. All eggs should be tested to ensure they are not too far along to humanely addle.

A permit is required from the Minnesota DNR to addle eggs, and the property owner must be listed on the permit. Driven Wild can help you submit the required paperwork before getting out to your property and taking care of the eggs. If you have noticed nests on your property, or if you have seen goslings around in the past and want to prevent that this spring, contact us for a price estimate.

Tired of Ineffective Goose Control?

If you are tired of trying out multiple ineffective options to control the geese on your property, Driven Wild is the ultimate solution. Contact us for a free estimate and more information about why this is the last goose control method you’ll ever need.